SC reserves verdict in Rajakumar case

Josy Joseph in New Delhi

The Supreme Court Tuesday congratulated Abdul Kareem, father of a slain Karnataka sub-inspector, for challenging the Mysore special court order on release of 51 Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act detenues, as demanded by forest brigand Veerappan, making it clear where its sympathies lie.

The court admonished the Centre and state governments of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu for not acting against the brigand and allowing him to create an autonomous region.

Resuming hearing on a review petition filed by Kareem, the court finished with arguments and reserved its judgement for a later day.

Court proceedings in the cease, spread over a month, have from the beginning been torturous for the Centre and states. Even on the last day of hearing, the court pulled up the Karnataka government for misleading it. The counsel for the state had informed the court that
Veerappan's name did not figure in the list of those whose TADA cases are sought to be withdrawn. A detailed affidavit filed by the public prosecutor in the Mysore special court and that court's judgement proved otherwise, provoking admonishment from the apex court.

The judges said that they were worried as Supreme Court "judges and citizens" that there was an independent area in the making in the Sathyamangalam forests, where Veerappan ruled.

The court told the state counsels that it had prima facie evidence to quash
the order of the Mysore special court. That sent the signal and the battery of advocates who appeared for the states and Centre were dumbfounded as the court went on to congratulate Kareem. Kareem's son, a sub-inspector, was gunned down by Veerappan's gang sometime back.

The court said, by filing the writ petition, Kareem had done a "great national service". The court observed that in the last week, between the last hearing and Tuesday, the Centre and states have taken no effective steps, "except for giving arguments".

Continuing with its observation during the last hearing that there was no public interest visible in the application of Karnataka state for withdrawing TADA case against the 51 Veerappan accused, the apex court said that prima facie there was reason for it to quash the Mysore court order.

It said that the Veerappan menace was "not just a law and order problem" but much more. "What has the Centre done?" it asked.

The SC also turned down the Centre's suggestion that the case be sent to the Karnataka High Court for review. The SC added that its interim stay order on the release of TADA detenues would continue.